Super Ego

I have listened many times to conversations with Iaidoka about Ego.....

I want to talk about it a little with my take on what it means to us and what our view on it says to others. Freud first keyed the idea of the super ego. he defined it as the the ethical element of our personality, like our conscience, and our own compass on morals and behaviour. In short he was indicating that our ego is in a large part about the way we treat others and respond to social interaction.

In Japanese martial arts there is a term known as Mushin, it means 'no mind' and i think this is where the fundamental problme with Iai establishes itself.

It is easy to see no mind meaning remove your personality from your martial arts practice, and so often you hear too many martial artists discussing individuals ego like it is something that can be turned off or on like a light switch. To remove your ego from yourself is harder than removing the eggs from a baked cake.

When we discuss others ego we can be in danger of showing a type of arrogance that is vulgar and shows a contempt for others acheivements. The old saying 'Don't say to others behind their back what you would not say to their face' is the litmus test here.

It is this arrogance which we subconciously exhibit to others when we claim others have too much ego in their martial arts, implying that we have none, when we tell a lie to another or attempt to mislead, we dishonour and tarnish our own ego. This noble martial art is about honesty and compassion, seeking to readjust our personality for a more peaceful future, searching for a love of the technique whilst simultaneously removing the base violent culture from where it had originated.

I have often questioned other martial arts, it is my and others right, but I have always tempered that with the knowledge that they deserve the respect of their art, and the dedication, difference in execution and various applications that make what they do as official as what I have been taught in nearlty 40 years of martial arts.

In short our ego is us, if we are to have no mind, we will still have ego, and remember when you mislead others, it is your character that you tarnish, not those you plot against.